Wednesday, 3 September 2008

The Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board does a very good thing

Sing out for the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board!

Just eye-ball this sand!

Not only is that silky sand butt free, this beach has lifeguards! Not that the Gritlets need them today, because thanks to the fine efforts of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board, on this beach there are no dogs.

NO DOGS! No dogs at all in these magical summer months when the little Gritlets rush to build Norman motte and bailey sandcastles with ditched earthworks! Did you know the Gritlets are terrified of dogs? We would chuck ourselves into the North Sea if, from fifty metres away, we witness some fat pampered mutt padding along the pavement sniffing piss. This sight, if you are Shark, Squirrel and Tiger, is terrifying. In fact it is so terrifying that death by herring is preferable. And the ultimate dog horror? Being licked. Squirrel has confided this in me, and I am blabbing it to planet Internet. A dog might lick her leg. And to avoid that she would throw herself off a pier and need a lifeguard.

But that disaster is averted today thanks to the wise and great offices of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board!

Yet clean beaches are not the only thing they tell me about! Did I mention the wall? Not any old wall, but a medieval wall which is one of the most complete in England.

This wall dates from the late 1300s. Eleven of the sixteen watchtowers along the wall still survive, which is pretty impressive by anyone's book. Grit has to slobber against that wall because, as you know, history is her thing, and walls are special in this girl's world. Thank you Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board for giving me information about your wall.

I'd like to give a big hug to those fellas that saved these beauties from demolition. One house has a ceiling dating from 1600s. But despite the fancy plastering and warm timber paneling there is no bathroom. Well it must have got way too smelly. The rich folks slowly moved out and left the houses to be subdivided by poor folk. We work out that at one time there were 15 people living in three rooms, so they would need to like crowds. But this is history come alive at the stroke of those lovely timbers. And guess what? Free lollipops! Free lollipops for completing the trail that is so easy we could do that with our eyes shut! Except, Squirrel, we'd fall downstairs, so don't take that literally. You see how everything in Great Yarmouth is so accessible? Well done Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board!

If this were not enough, there is the Hippodrome, which us outgoing home educators visit in the evening. Well this is a fantastic building, even though appalling town planning leaves it fronted by an amusement arcade. The Hippodrome, according to The Theatres Trust, is A building of outstanding importance. There are only two purpose-built permanent circuses in Britain still in full working order and probably only four or five operational pre-1950 circuses in the world. And here's one in Great Yarmouth! Howabout that! And not only that, this amazing building has a circus ring that converts into a swimming pool! And thank you Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board for bringing this wonderful building to our attention!

But this is not all we can fit into a day. We spend several hours in the Time and Tide Museum, which is so good we are slipping back disguised as simple fisherfolk to see if we can live here for the week. Then we could listen to every audio, watch every video, and read every panel of information about how herring were strung up and smoked here and sent off in crates to mostly everywhere, and especially Italy.

After this lot, the hell that is Pontins can be forgot! A splendid, educational day out! Thank you Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board!

Of course this shameless promotion of Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board has nothing to do with the fact that Squirrel and Shark are collared during the tour of the museum for promotional tourist shots. Strangely I become ridiculously proud of little Squirrel for being so good with the photographer and not once kicking his shins or making smart lippy comments. She may indeed possibly become the next icon for the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Board, with her amazing ability to look both wise and cute, albeit a little inflated about the cheek area.

The Gritlets are now available for chip promotional work.Obviously in exchange for free chips.

Two daughters are now at 6th form for A-levels, and one is mucking about in a college playing with clay, paint and wax. Mostly, it's all about culture clash.If you are looking for primary, try the archives under 2011 or 2012. Ideas? Try Seven days with elephants.

Secondary home ed? Try 2012 or 2014 through to 2016.

Exams made life boring for us all and the blog stopped for long periods so the home educated could concentrate on enjoying some teens.

Here I am

When we reach the end of the road we discover the beginning of the field.
Parent, educator, thinker, doer, prevaricator, writer, maker, messer-upper, consensus-seeker, polemic, conflict-avoider, conflict-seeker, vegetarian, leather fondler, shouty person, 'don't-pick-fights-with-me, mister', book dipper, theatre-goer, watcher of films, and person who has unruly thoughts, generally. Prefer the imaginative world where everything is under my control.

where is everybody?

This blog is a record of a home educationwrit for parents thinking about home edwrit for the LA who need an education about home edwrit for Grit's friends and relations who drop in once a yearand writ for Grit's sane and lovely mind.

The internal DCSF Consultation Report, made public 23 January. (pdf)In Annex A, 94% of respondents disagreed that the local authority should have the power to interview a home educated child alone.When this comes out Ed Balls' mouth in the Second Reading Debate, 94% against turns to:'The vast majority of parents would be happy to let that happen'(Hansard 11.01.10, Children, Schools and Families Bill, col 437.)

Love it or loathe it? The petition still broke a record.Press release in the Mirror, Channel4 news, the Guardian.

'Even if you don't currently see yourself home educating, you never know what the future might hold, and if a time comes when you find yourself needing to pull your child out of school, I hope the option is still available to you, and you don't regret thinking *it's nothing to do with me*.'

Read the Right to Reply'Home educators are renowned for their strong opinions and independent spirit. They come from all faiths and none. They have as many approaches to education as there are children. They rarely agree on anything. And yet they are remarkably united in their opposition to these proposals. There is great concern that their way of life will be legislated out of existence.'--Response to the Badman Review of Elective Home Education in England and reaction to the Select Committee hearing.

The problem with home educators is that they are impossible to define. The only things that links them is respect for their children. And did the state just stagger foolishly across that line?Are we sandal wearing tree huggers who let our kids run wild or control mad Jesus freaks who don't want them learning about sex and evolution? Are we hot housing or leaving them to watch TV and play computer games all day? -Firebird.The UK government suggested that we home educate our children to cover up our abuse.On that issue, would you like some statistics?

'The Department [for Children, Schools and Families] is aware that attempts are being made on the Internet to vilify and harass the author of the review. It is the Department's view that, whilst dealing with each request on its merits, this situation will have to be taken into account in dealing with any relevant FOI requests. ... we anticipate the need to consider whether it is in the public interest to release information likely to intensify any such campaign, or to lead to harassment or distress to individuals.'Hello DCSF. Vilify: to make vicious and defamatory statements about.Like putting it about that home educated children are abused by their parents? Isolated? Unsocialised? Denied an education?And the latest one, that their mothers have Munchhausen's Syndrome by Proxy, and benefit from their child's suffering.

... compulsory registration, entry to the home, inspection according to external standards, and power to see the child without the parent present.By implication this applies to anyone who has their child at home with them: particularly parents with under 5s, but also those with school-aged children who are at home in the evenings, over the weekends, and throughout the summer holidays. Think on: the possibility of parental inspection, with or without your presence, based on the very human whim of a local authority officer.Is that okay with you?Renegade Parent on the implications for all parents from the Badman review of home education.

'Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children'.(Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 26.3)

Photos and text copyright Grit.This is Grit's blog. The pictures come from her broken phone camera, and they are hers by right.

The words too are Grit's, Grit's, all Grit's. This is not to say you cannot use any words that Grit uses - after all, she is the unhinged woman who once banned SOIL - but you just cannot lift them in the long, complex and lovely arrangements, like the ones Grit has writ.

Please ask! If you wish to take images from this site, please send an email to gritsday@gmail.com

Keywords you may need for grit's day

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